Gary Dwayne Helming, Battalion Chief

Battalion Chief Helming was returning from an assignment on the Railroad Fire in the Sierra National Forest in California. He was the driver and sole occupant of a 2014 F350 truck.

As he drove Southbound on State Route 41, a passenger vehicle approached from the opposite direction. As the vehicles came near each other, the passenger vehicle experienced a left-front tire failure, forcing the vehicle to turn left into Chief Helming’s path. The vehicles collided, Chief Helming’s vehicle rolled several times, and he received fatal traumatic injuries. Chief Helming had to be extricated from the vehicle. Chief Helming was wearing his seatbelt and all airbags in the vehicle were deployed.

Incident Location: Highway 41 just south of state Route 33 in Kings County (Vicinity of U.S. National Grid: 10S GE 6631 7520)